Characterisation and properties of f-element complexes with amide and amidine ligands

The lanthanide (Ln) complexes with N-chelating ligands have attracted considerable attentions because of their unique tuneable steric and electronic properties.[1] Amongst such Ln complexes with N-chelating ligands, amide-based complexes are known to offer a wide range of applications, e.g., as efficient luminescent agents employed in bio-analytical fields.[2] Furthermore, amidine-based complexes enable the Ln metals to stabilise in exotic oxidation states (i.e., di- and tetravalent) with remarkable catalytic activity.[3]
These unique properties of amide- and amidine-based complexes of f-elements motivate us to perform the present study focusing on the synthesis and characterisation of the f-element complexes with newly synthesised amide- and amidine ligands shown in Figure 1. The aim of this study is to investigate the physical/chemical properties (e.g., optical properties) of f-elements (i.e., Ln and actinides (An)) complexed with the amide- and amidine ligands and compare their properties between Ln and An, and between solid and solution states, by means of single-crystal X-ray diffraction, X-ray absorption spectroscopy, etc. A comprehensive overview of the amide- and amidine complexes of f-elements will be presented particularly in terms of structural point of view.

References
1 A. A. Trifonov, Coord. Chem. Rev. 2010, 254, 1327 –1347.
2 e.g., Y. Tang et al., Inorg. Chem. Commun. 2005, 8, 1018-1021; J. Xu et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2011, 133, 19900–19910.
3 F. T. Edelmann, Chem. Soc. Rev. 2009, 38, 2253-2268.